Apart from the
present active infinitive shown in the previous posts, other infinitives come
into play when using this construction.
The present passive
infinitive was discussed here:
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/10/110125-level-2-passive-voice-19-present.html
1st
conjugation: laudāre │to praise > laudārī │ to be praised
2nd conjugation: monēre
│ to warn > monērī │ to be warned
3rd and 3rd-iō
conjugation verbs add -ī directly to the stem of the verb:
dūc¦ere │ to lead
> dūc¦ī │ to be led
cap¦ere │ to
capture > cap¦ī │ to be captured
4th conjugation: audīre │ to hear > audīrī │ to be heard
Examples:
[i] Again, note
that, while English shifts the tense, Latin uses the present passive infinitive
for both:
Fīliae ā patre
amantur. │ The daughters are loved by the father.
[a] > Crēdit
¦ [1] fīliās [2] amārī ā patre.
[literally: He
believes [1] the daughters [2] to be loved by the father.]
> He believes
¦ that [1] the daughters [2] are loved by the father.
[b] > Crēdidit ¦
filiās amāri ā patre.
> He believed
¦ that the daughters were loved by the father.
[ii] Obscūritās
nox appellātur. │ The darkness is called the night.
> Intellegimus ¦
[1] obscūritātem noctem [2] appellārī.
[literally: We
understand ¦ [1] the darkness [2] to be called the night.]
> We understand
¦ that [1] the darkness [2] is called the night.
[iii] Id lūmen
candidum lūna vocātur. │ That shining white light is called the moon.
> Magister
dīcit ¦ id lūmen candidum lūnam vocārī. │ The teacher says ¦ that that
shining white light is called the moon.
[iv] Terra lūnaque
lūmine aliēnō illūminantur. │ The Earth and the moon are illuminated by
another light.
> Legimus ¦ terram
lūnamque lūmine aliēnō illūminārī. │ We read ¦ that the Earth and the
moon are lit by another light.
[v] Sōl parvus
vidētur. │ The sun seems (literally: is seen) small.
> Magister
dīcit ¦ sōlem parvum vidērī. │ The teacher says ¦ that the sun seems
small.
[vi] Lūx diēs
dīcitur. │ The light is called the day.
> Legō ¦ lūcem
diem dīcī. │ I read ¦ that the light is called the day.
[vii] and [viii]
below well illustrate a point made earlier that translation may convey
the ideas in different ways, but you need to put aside that influence:
[vii] celāre [1]:
to conceal > celārī: to be concealed; note how English could
translate the following indirect statement in two ways using different tenses whereas
Latin uses the present passive infinitive since the original statement refers
to a situation happening at that time.
Gallī negāvērunt
¦ Druidēs cēlārī. │ [1] The Gauls denied ¦ that the Druids were
being concealed; [2] The Gauls have denied ¦ that the Druids are
being concealed.
What the Gauls
said at the time was: “The Druids are not being concealed.”
[viii] vestīre [4]:
to dress > vestīrī: to get dressed
Dīcam ¦ tē vestīrī.
│ I shall say ¦ that you are getting dressed.
English could
equally express this as “I shall say (if I’m asked later) that you were
getting dressed.”
Infinitives of
deponent verbs, the forms
of which are the same as passive verbs, will also be used in indirect
statements although, as explained in previous posts, have an active rather than
passive meaning:
Putō ¦ hunc senem mē sequī. │ I think ¦ that this old man is following me.
